Ayr Racecourse: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
The Western Meeting Club Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Western Meeting Club 2003. In the year to December 2025 The Western Meeting Club Limited reported turnover of £10m.
- In the year to December 2025, Ayr Racecourse had turnover of £10m, up 12.6% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £0.2m, keeping £2.15 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 78 people, with staff costs of £1.6m.
- The Western Meeting Club Limited is controlled by Western Meeting Club 2003, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from The Western Meeting Club Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 26 September 2026.
- Registered name
- THE WESTERN MEETING CLUB LIMITED
- Company number
- SC234779
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 31 July 2002
- Registered office area
- Kilmarnock
- Industry code on the register
- 93199: Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 26 September 2026
What does Ayr Racecourse do?
Ayr Racecourse is a racecourse in Ayr, Scotland, home to the Scottish Grand National and the Ayr Gold Cup. Racing in Ayr dates back to 1576, the course moved to its present site in 1907, and jumps racing began there in 1950, so it stages both flat and jumps racing. The Ayr Gold Cup Festival grew from the Western Meeting, established in 1824, and the Scottish Grand National moved to Ayr in 1966. Alongside racedays it earns money from hospitality and sponsorship, the four-star Western House Hotel and the Princess Royal Conference and Events Centre, which hosts conferences, exhibitions, banquets and weddings.
In brief: racecourse in Ayr, Scotland · home of the Scottish Grand National and Ayr Gold Cup · flat and jumps · on-site hotel and conference centre
Source: Ayr Racecourse's own website, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Who owns Ayr Racecourse?
The Companies House register records Western Meeting Club 2003 as the person with significant control of The Western Meeting Club Limited, company number SC234779. Western Meeting Club 2003 is itself company number SC241997.
That places The Western Meeting Club Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Ayr Racecourse?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for The Western Meeting Club Limited.
All 5 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Richard Bell Johnstone | 17 June 2003 |
| Alan Gillies Macdonald | 17 June 2003 |
| James Stuart Morrison | 1 June 2004 |
| David John Brown | 1 August 2005 |
| David John Brown | 26 July 2007 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Ayr Racecourse file?
The Western Meeting Club Limited reported turnover of £10m in the year to December 2025. That was up 12.6% on £9m the year before.
It reported 78 employees. The year before it reported 76.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £0.2m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £0.3m the year before.
Staff costs came to £1.6m. That is an average of £21,000 a head. It ended the year with £1.9m at the bank and net assets of £8m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £10m | £9m |
| Pre-tax profit | £0.2m (filed) | -£0.3m (filed) |
| Employees | 78 | 76 |
| Staff costs | £1.6m | £1.4m |
| Average staff cost per head | £21,000 | £19,000 |
| Bank and cash | £1.9m | £1.6m |
| Net assets | £8m | £8m |
| Interest paid | £0.2m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.2m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Ayr Racecourse?
The Western Meeting Club Limited has registered 7 charges at Companies House, of which 4 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 4 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Clydesdale Bank PLC | 27 August 2013 |
| Clydesdale Bank PLC | 27 August 2013 |
| Clydesdale Bank PLC | 16 August 2013 |
| Horserace Betting Levy Board | 6 August 2008 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Ayr Racecourse compares
Of the 5 racecourses, Ayr Racecourse is 5th on turnover, 4th on profit margin and 1st on growth. Ascot keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £14.65.
| Rank | Racecourses | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ascot | £115m | £14.65 |
| 5th | Ayr Racecourse | £10m | £2.15 |
| + 3 more racecourses ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Ayr Racecourse files as The Western Meeting Club Limited, whose person with significant control is Western Meeting Club 2003, with turnover of £10m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Ayr Racecourse
What does Ayr Racecourse do?
Ayr Racecourse is a racecourse in Ayr, Scotland, home to the Scottish Grand National and the Ayr Gold Cup. Racing in Ayr dates back to 1576, the course moved to its present site in 1907, and jumps racing began there in 1950, so it stages both flat and jumps racing. The Ayr Gold Cup Festival grew from the Western Meeting, established in 1824, and the Scottish Grand National moved to Ayr in 1966. Alongside racedays it earns money from hospitality and sponsorship, the four-star Western House Hotel and the Princess Royal Conference and Events Centre, which hosts conferences, exhibitions, banquets and weddings.
How does Ayr Racecourse compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Ayr Racecourse is 5th of the 5 companies in our battle of the racecourses, behind Ascot. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the racecourses →
Who owns Ayr Racecourse?
The Companies House register records Western Meeting Club 2003 as the person with significant control of The Western Meeting Club Limited.
How much does Ayr Racecourse make?
The Western Meeting Club Limited reported turnover of £10m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £0.2m.
How many people work at Ayr Racecourse?
The Western Meeting Club Limited reported 78 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Ayr Racecourse?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for The Western Meeting Club Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from The Western Meeting Club Limited's filings at Companies House, company number SC234779, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Ayr Racecourse: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/ayr-racecourse/. Figures from Companies House filings for THE WESTERN MEETING CLUB LIMITED (SC234779).
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